Truth and the Strangeness of Fiction: How a Memory Becomes a Narrative
| Date/Time: | Wednesday, 22 Feb 2006 at 2:30 pm |
|---|---|
| Location: | Oak Room, Memorial Union |
| Cost: | Free |
| Contact: | |
| Phone: | 515-294-9934 |
| Channel: | Lecture Series |
| Categories: | Lectures |
| Actions: | Download iCal/vCal | Email Reminder |
Every civilization is, among other things, an arrangement for domesticating the passions and setting them to do useful work.
--Aldous Huxley
The recent controversy over the literal truth behind James Frey's memoir on addition, alcoholism, and recovery, A Million Little Pieces, has engendered a national debate on how natural writings evolve from real-life experiences. How true does nonfiction have to be in order to remain credible? Can memory, by nature, be accurate? How does the place one is from shape the story one tells? And do domesticated landscapes, by nature, breed domesticated narratives? On this panel, graduate students from the ISU Creative Writing Program will explore their wild side by discussing these questions as they occur in their work and creative practices.